Post limit for new users.

[Hayato213]

I recommend post limit for new users, which would limit the amount of spam on the forum.

 

[SylverReZ]

That would be why we get many alt accounts of banned users such as Clangy and spam bots from the great Mainland. So I agree that we need more measures in place to prevent this.

 

[KleinesSinchen]

Thought about the same (and was unable to create a thread).
Spam filters are already often a problem for real new users, so they must not get too strict.

What maybe could be considered pretty save would be limiting the number of threads to 2 or 3 a day for new accounts. Limiting to only one thread isn't very good: New users get encouraged to post an introduction. If they do they should still have the ability to directly post another thread asking for help or whatever.

I fail seeing any legitimate reason for a real user to post 10+ threads in five minutes filling the recent content box. It won't prevent the bots from posting garbage at all, but the hurdle is higher (multiple successful account creations potentially triggering an IP ban or whatever).

Unlikely for a perfect automatic filter to ever exist.

"Thank you!" to the moderators for always showing the bots the way out quickly.

 

[r1vver]

Set pre-moderation for the first 10 or so posts.
There are never any problems (questions or posts) here that really require urgent solutions. And the forum is not inherently a purveyor of instant answers.
Besides, maybe it would teach people (real people) to use the search and read of 'noob-paradise' threads while waiting for the post to be approved.
And you have a bunch of moderators for that, plus they're not busy doing anything anyway (except responding slowly to bots).

 

[jeffyTheHomebrewer]

Clangy? Who the hell is that, and what'd they even do?

 

[DinohScene]

I recommend post limit for new users, which would limit the amount of spam on the forum.

This will simply drive people away.

Say you sign up for a forum to ask for help but you won't be able to post your question easily or "in time".
Most people will just go elsewhere which will eventually bleed the site empty.

Clangy? Who the hell is that, and what'd they even do?

Nothing important.
Just a banned user who frequently shows up under an alt.
Mostly spams the memebox.

And you have a bunch of moderators for that, plus they're not busy doing anything anyway (except responding slowly to bots).

Staff isn't a paid position, we're just doing this on a voluntary basis.
Besides, we have lives and jobs besides GBAtemp.

 

[Hayato213]

This will simply drive people away.

Say you sign up for a forum to ask for help but you won't be able to post your question easily or "in time".
Most people will just go elsewhere which will eventually bleed the site empty.

Some sites has an implementation of how much a new user can post, I mean you can limit how much new user can post per days and per hours.

 

[r1vver]

This will simply drive people away.

Say you sign up for a forum to ask for help but you won't be able to post your question easily or "in time".
Most people will just go elsewhere which will eventually bleed the site empty.

Does anyone need people like that?
Of course, I understand that the site has long been a commercial site and increasing the audience in numbers is simply necessary to noodle advertisers.
Potential video viewers and link clickers are always in demand.
But there is a limit to everything.

Staff isn't a paid position, we're just doing this on a voluntary basis.
Besides, we have lives and jobs besides GBAtemp.

But everyone always manages to find time to slack on the edge of the forum.
In addition, I do not think that someone forcibly appoints and makes moderators do this hard and thankless work.
Or does the administration use blackmail and/or other effective means for this purpose?

 

[AmandaRose]

This will simply drive people away.

Say you sign up for a forum to ask for help but you won't be able to post your question easily or "in time".
Most people will just go elsewhere which will eventually bleed the site empty.

I would counter that and say the constant spam botting of the site is also potentially going to make people stay away. Imagine you are new to the site and all you see is a shit load of posts on the home page about university degrees in India or Viagra in Texas or whatever else they are trying to flog. Hardly a good first impression is it.

I do get finding a solution to this ever increasing problem must be hard but it seems nearly every time I log on to the site as of late it is under another spambot attack.

 

[Kioku]

What even are the steps required before a person is allowed to post anyway?

Limiting a new member to one post every 5-10 minutes may mitigate the spam. Could be worth trying. I’ve joined a few forums that had limitations on new members that were thriving. Granted they weren’t exactly “white” forums. (IYKYK)

There has to be something that can be done. As @AmandaRose stated, it actually may look bad if someone joins and sees some of this spam. Especially when you see what some of it is advertising. We’re not a call girl site. That’s more of a deterrence than limiting their posting ability.

EDIT: I can't believe it needs to be said, but the administrators and moderators of this site do have lives outside of this forum, as they should. You can't reasonably expect them to be at the beck and call of all reports at any given point throughout the day. Especially when they do this for free, only being paid the gratitude (or seemingly lack thereof) of the community and its members.

 

[lwiz]

There has to be something that can be done. As @AmandaRose stated, it actually may look bad if someone joins and sees some of this spam. Especially when you see what some of it is advertising. We’re not a call girl site. That’s more of a deterrence than limiting their posting ability.

"This forum must be dead or dying like forums in general, as the recent posts are only spam, so no moderators it seem"

IMHO, better nip the spam problem from the bud rather than let the spammers run amok until a mod comes around and closes the account.

 

[KleinesSinchen]

This will simply drive people away.

Say you sign up for a forum to ask for help but you won't be able to post your question easily or "in time".
Most people will just go elsewhere which will eventually bleed the site empty.

It is a difficult thing. Hit the bots without hitting real users.
Again: Would it be an actual limit if a newbie wasn't allowed to post a dozen threads on the first day?
A hard limit on posts could indeed be bad: A newbie getting in discussion and asking several questions within their thread back and forth can easily surpass 20 posts in an hour.

Staff isn't a paid position, we're just doing this on a voluntary basis.
Besides, we have lives and jobs besides GBAtemp.

While moderator review should solve the spam problem 100%, it is an insane amount of work. That can't be a solution.


I can not agree on this:

And you have a bunch of moderators for that, plus they're not busy doing anything anyway (except responding slowly to bots).

I've seen one instance when a spambot lived more than half a hour and went berserk all over the place. Of all staff members showing their online status publicly, none was online at that point. I guess none of the others was online at this point as well. Can happen.
Sometimes when trying to report a bot a minute after it started the nonsense, I got a message like "You don't have the privilege to perform this action" (which in fact meant the post and the bot had already been removed by the time I typed "Spambot" into the report textfield)

 

[DinohScene]

Especially when they do this for free, only being paid the gratitude (or seemingly lack thereof) of the community and its members.

This is one of the reasons why I often don't bother posting anymore.

 

[DJPlace]

why would GBATEMP do that. this not that one gaming site you know.

 

[AncientBoi]

But then again, you guys gotta remember that, they will be trying to UP their XP's. As it is Encouraged on here.

 

[k0walski]

It is a difficult thing. Hit the bots without hitting real users.
Again: Would it be an actual limit if a newbie wasn't allowed to post a dozen threads on the first day?
A hard limit on posts could indeed be bad: A newbie getting in discussion and asking several questions within their thread back and forth can easily surpass 20 posts in an hour.




While moderator review should solve the spam problem 100%, it is an insane amount of work. That can't be a solution.


I can not agree on this:

I've seen one instance when a spambot lived more than half a hour and went berserk all over the place. Of all staff members showing their online status publicly, none was online at that point. I guess none of the others was online at this point as well. Can happen.
Sometimes when trying to report a bot a minute after it started the nonsense, I got a message like "You don't have the privilege to perform this action" (which in fact meant the post and the bot had already been removed by the time I typed "Spambot" into the report textfield)

I've seen examples, where people are limited not only in the number of posts per day (as newcomers; then, on the next day, the number of posts increased to some amount and later, after a few days, the limit withdrawn), but also boards/forums where they can post. Usually, there was a newbie board to start with while keeping the possibility to read all the boards available. Maybe with some limitation on user "reactions", e.g., likes etc...
Anyway, I'm happy to see that people are trying to keep this place peaceful and quiet. There are not pretty much forums of such kind left.

 

[JuanMena]

Most people will just go elsewhere which will eventually bleed the site empty.

Last Tempmas raffle I actually did the maths and counted how many new members signs up just in the raffle period. There were 26K new members in one week.

Maybe you guys should do more raffles in order to keep the site relevant?
I don't know, I'm not a productive member of the forum.

Staff isn't a paid position, we're just doing this on a voluntary basis.
Besides, we have lives and jobs besides GBAtemp.

Booo!

The temp has it's own bot! Use it to counterattack other bots!

 

[DinohScene]

Last Tempmas raffle I actually did the maths and counted how many new members signs up just in the raffle period. There were 26K new members in one week.

Maybe you guys should do more raffles in order to keep the site relevant?
I don't know, I'm not a productive member of the forum.


Booo!

The temp has it's own bot! Use it to counterattack other bots!

Raffles unfortunately aren't sustainable.
Out of those 26k members, how many of them have stuck around?

 

[JuanMena]

Raffles unfortunately aren't sustainable.
Out of those 26k members, how many of them have stuck around?

That's the point!
New members do not stick around because they just come to get helped and leave.

Check out my followers, 90% of those were people asking for help with their Wii consoles, when I solved their problems they followed me back and left forever.
This site is starting to be more like a service for noobs and spam/propaganda holder than a proper forum.

If the whole point of the forum is to keep users around, get the bot a job. Unless that bot was never a bot and Amanda was right all this time with the implication that tempBOT is a Staff Member in disguise.

 

[Dust2dust]

Raffles unfortunately aren't sustainable.
Out of those 26k members, how many of them have stuck around?

I agree that raffles are a questionable solution to attract more users. Usually the new users will subscribe in hope of winning the grand prize, then just leave when they realise they didn't win anything, not to mention it leaves a bad taste in the mouth for all old members when they see an unknown fresh member win said grand prize.

Out of curiosity, how many members are active, meaning they logged in to the forum in the last couple of weeks? And how many would be considered a healthy number, if the answer is "Not enough!"?